Twitter debates are here to stay.
In the latest viral debate on the platform, we’re learning that people have a lot of opinions when it comes to hiring practices.
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The debate was sparked by a Facebook post from Mercedes Johnson, a freelance recruiter who thought she was making a strong point about salary negotiations. Unfortunately, the rest of the internet did not agree.
Johnson shared on her Facebook page that she offered a woman a job for $85,000 despite the fact that the company she worked with had a budget of $130,000 for the role.
“I offered her that because that’s what she asked for and I personally don’t have the bandwidth to give lessons on salary negotiation,” Johnson said. “ALWAYS ASK FOR THE SALARY YOU WANT (DESERVE), no matter how large you think it might be…#beconfident.”
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Of course, Johnson’s post was quickly screenshotted and shared on other social media platforms, including Twitter, where things got heated. Many people believe the blame shouldn’t be placed on the job seeker, as it’s the responsibility of a good recruiter to help a candidate who’s selling themself short.
Some users made it clear that Johnson shouldn’t be so proud of her actions.
One user shared Johnson’s post alongside another recruiter who actually decided to pay the candidate what they were worth, despite the fact that they initially asked for a lower number.
Another shared an experience her niece had while applying for a tech role.
“My niece was offered a tech job. No experience. The panel asked what were her salary requirements. My niece, 23, had no clue & underbid herself. THE BLACK LADY on the panel disconnected the live “accidentally,” called my niece’s cell phone n told her what to ask for,” the tweet read.
Eventually, Johnson posted an apology, saying she understood how her “made a lot of people feel, especially the candidate that was directly impacted by my choice.”
“It doesn’t feel good and this should have gone differently,” she wrote. “She deserves to be paid what she’s worth from the company despite what she thinks the job responsibilities are worth,” she said.
But at the end of the day, she still believes that her post and the controversy surrounding it did exactly what it was intended to do.
Johnson believes there’s a lesson for recruiters and candidates alike.
“Everybody is not going to agree with the things that were said in that post, but I believe that the post did 100% of what it was supposed to do,” she told HuffPost. “I’m confident that the over two million people that saw my post will now negotiate properly in the interview process.”